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Fire Safe Marin
ADAPTING TO WILDFIRE
By: Fire Safe Marin | July 6, 2023
Posted by Sarah Dobrovolny
A deer has eyes on the sides of its head to help it be aware of its surroundings and predators.
This is an adaptation.
A tree loses its leaves to help it conserve energy in the winter when there is less sun.
This is an adaptation.
Our climate is changing and we are experiencing longer and more intense wildfire seasons.
We must adapt.
We must become an adaptive community.
Protection from wildfire is no longer a job for firefighters alone. It will take a community-wide effort to protect Marin. This means that every Marin resident needs to rethink their relationship with wildfire. Instead of meeting the smoke in the sky with fear and apathy, communities can become empowered and create a culture of collective action. The people, neighborhoods, towns, and cities of Marin are our responsibility. The look of our current urban landscape must also change. The heavy vegetation that fills our gardens and clings to our homes works for an English cottage, but here in Marin, the extended droughts and heat waves make these features kindling and fuel that can spread a wildfire uncontrollably through a neighborhood.
Here are 6 easy ways to adapt to wildfire:
1. Understand how wildfires spread.
60-90% of homes catch on fire by burning embers that blow ahead of wildfires. These embers land on dried leaves and fuel and start “spot fires.” The key is to stop spot fires from spreading to the home.
2. Clear Zone Zero of combustibles.
The area closest to your house is called “Zone Zero.” This area has a huge impact on the safety of your home. Removing flammable materials from this area prevents ember ignitions.
3. Harden your home.
Hot embers blow into homes through vents and can ignite leaves trapped under decks. Installing fire resistant vents and screening decks can go a long way in protecting your home.
4. Maintain and separate plants.
Avoid continuous lines of vegetation to interrupt the path of fire. Keep trees limbed up, grass low, and dead leaves and debris cleared to reduce fuel.
5. Be ready.
Wildfires can strike at any time, so we all need to stay alert and keep informed. Sign up for AlertMarin.org to get evacuation warnings and orders. Know your evacuation routes and have a go bag ready. And go if it is time to go!
6. Work together.
This is too big of a job to do alone. Reach out if you need help, or find out who may need assistance and be part of their emergency plan.
Fire Safe Marin is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing fire hazards, promoting fire safety awareness, and helping residents prepare for wildfires in Marin County, California. Be part of a cultural shift that values safety and resilience as our community’s hallmarks. Learn more at www.firesafemarin.org.
Sarah Dobrovolny lives in San Anselmo with her husband Spencer and their 18-month-old Sadie. Sarah is a Stay At Home Mom, works for Fire Safe Marin as a copy editor/Spanish content translator, and helps local small businesses with social media content creation. Sarah founded and coordinates Mobile Baby Hangouts and Little Movers & Shakers Playground Meetups. She volunteers as SMMC’s SAHM group leader, co-leader of the San Anselmo/Fairfax town group, on the 2023 Events team, and as a copy editor for The Crier.